


to give, to receive

by grains_of_saturn



Series: Valentine's-White Day 2017 [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: High School, M/M, Pre-Canon, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9789338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grains_of_saturn/pseuds/grains_of_saturn
Summary: Prompto vividly remembers the crowds that filled the hallways, of students lining up to give Valentine's Day chocolates to Noctis.





	

In the years before Prompto had dared to speak to Noctis, his primary exposure to the young prince was that of gossip and spectacle around the school's corridors. Nothing about that seemed out of the ordinary; there was, essentially, a celebrity in their midst, and it was easy to be excited by that fact.

At no time was this more evident than Valentine's Day. From an early age, Prompto noticed the growing fervor around that time of year - it seemed impossible not to. Whispers from the girls, _who are you doing to give chocolate to?_ Whispers from the boys, _who do you think you'll get chocolate from?_ It all seemed quite stressful; Prompto had no expectations for the date beyond the childhood years of class-wide obligation chocolates, and generally felt fine with that. What would you do if you liked someone, and they gave you chocolate?! Or you liked them, and they didn't!? Or _they gave some to somebody else!?_ Even those theoreticals seemed much too stressful. Valentine's Day was definitely an event best left to other people.

And then, there was Noctis. Even as a disconnected observer, it was impossible not to know of the actions _he_ inspired, even if only through word of mouth alone. The prevailing whispers were _do you think he'd mind?_ and _do I dare?_ and every year, the rumors grew.

_Noctis got so much chocolate, it wouldn't fit in his bag!_

_Noctis got so much chocolate, he couldn't carry it home!_

_Noctis got so much chocolate, they had to empty a classroom to put it in!_

_Noctis got so much chocolate, the shops were all sold out!_

As the years went on, those statements felt like they were probably hyperbole, but such things only rose from the very definite crowds that would gather around Noctis on the day. You didn't have to be in his class to witness it; it became obvious from the moment the bell chimed for lunchtime - it was never established whether Noctis minded or not, but a lot of students certainly dared try their luck. It was easy to be envious, but even the most irritable student could notice that what Noctis had was not exactly the dream it could be imagined as. Boys in class spoke longingly of having the attention of so many girls, but to even walk past the crowds on the way elsewhere, the actual reality of it seemed overwhelming (and maybe a little bit scary). _I suppose that's just what being a prince is like_ , Prompto would think to himself.

It was impossible not to notice that excitement, in those early years. What struck Prompto as a little unusual was the way in which this behavior seemed to dry up, as time went on. By the end of junior high, the difference was quite stark; there would still be those chancing their luck with giving chocolate to the resident prince, but nowhere near the crowds that had filled the corridors in years previous. Ten months into their friendship, it suddenly occurred to Prompto that maybe this was something he would need to be aware of.

" _You'll be getting a lot of chocolate this year too, right? Do I need to be making myself scarce?_ "

" _... Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal._ "

The thought that so much attention could simply be _not a big deal_ seemed amazing to Prompto, but Noctis had little more to say on the subject. On the morning of that day, Prompto had prepared for the fact that he'd probably have to fight for Noctis's attention (if he could get it at all) - but that turned out not to be the case. For all of the shops they passed pushing the event, for all the advertising around them, the actual day itself went by like any other. Noctis didn't say anything, and Prompto was too surprised to mention it. They went to school, as usual. They went to the game centre afterwards, as usual. They parted ways as the afternoon turned to evening, and then that was Valentine's Day over, for another year. To Prompto, the day becoming a non-event definitely seemed _strange_ , but Noctis didn't say anything about it and so Prompto supposed that he shouldn't, either. Certainly, it made sense for Noctis, at least; for all of the impressions Prompto had had of male friends and salacious talk of the _girls they liked_ , Noctis had never prolonged a conversation like that, not even once. During that first year, Prompto had tried, but soon felt that there was no point in trying.

" _So which girls in our class do you like, Noct?_ "

" _Huh?_ "

" _You know, 'like'! Who do you think's the hottest?_ "

It had been hard to tell whether the look Noctis gave in response to that question was withering or confused. " _I... I've never really thought about it._ "

Either way, his words seemed to be true, and as such, the conversation was over. Any similar line of enquiry ended similarly. It seemed amazing to Prompto that that could really be the case, but Noctis just _didn't seem to care_. It didn't really matter - every step of their friendship was trying what worked and seeing what didn't, and it really seemed that Noctis had no interest in the girls of their class. Or those outside of their class, or in general.

_There's that girl you send the notebook to though, right?_

_...Maybe that's why._

 

\-----

 

As usual, Prompto approached Noctis with a hand to the shoulder as they walked the path to the main school building.

"Heyyyy, Noct! Got anything planned for tomorrow?"

Noctis seemed immediately taken aback by the question, his expression curious and questioning. "What's happening tomorrow? ...Did I forget something?" He narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's not your birthday, is it? I thought that was--"

"C'mon, Noct! It's Valentine's Day! V-a-l-e-n-t-i-n-e-s D-a-y! I heard you get so many chocolates you have to take a week off to eat them all. Don't forget us guys who don't get any chocolate in these troubled times--!"

"... Oh, right. That."

" _Aaahh_ \-- you're always so calm about it! Dude, I remember all those crowds of girls lining up just to see you, let alone the ones that wanted to give you chocolate--! You know how hard it was even walking down a corridor back then!? Any guy would die for that much attention from a girl, let alone, like, hundreds of them!"

Prompto spoke brightly, but Noctis couldn't do much more than frown. "... Would you?"

"Huh?"

"Die for that much attention. Like you just said."

Hesitating for only a moment, Prompto spun on his heel and threw one arm over Noctis's shoulders. "Just a figure of speech. Who wouldn't want that, though--!"

"Do you want it? Because it's really troublesome. You remember those crowds, you just said you do. You really think it's that much fun? Being all like ' _please go out with me_ ' and ' _I love you--!_ '." Noctis slid out from under Prompto's arm. "All those girls, people I'd never spoken to... some of them were crying. What am I meant to do about that!?" His pace slowed to a halt. "I don't--... ask for all that, you know."

Prompto held his hands up, apologetically. "Sorry, man. ...I get it. But it's one of those things, like... I don't know, like being a prince to start with? Everyone's like, _wow, that's so cool!_ but there's a lot of stuff going on for you we don't know about, right? And something like this, you know, when you've never had a girl give you chocolates and there's some guy in the year getting _all_ the chocolates, it's easy to be like, wow, must be nice for him, right?" Prompto folded his arms, suddenly realizing that the things he was saying were, probably, not helpful. "Seems like it'd be nice until it's real, and then it's not. Yeah? But nobody else has to worry about it, so... easy to want it when you're not living it, huh." He sighed, deeply. "... Sorry."

"... Yeah, well. It doesn't happen now like it used to." His expression still seemed somewhat clouded, but Noctis looked to Prompto with a half-smile. "We should get left alone for it. We can hit up the game centre. Yeah?"

"Of course!" Noctis started walking again; Prompto followed behind him. "... Of course we can."

Despite the general reticence Noctis seemed to have on the subject, Prompto couldn't help but think of that one sentence he'd said - _it doesn't happen now like it used to_. It almost didn't need to be said, but it struck Prompto as mildly interesting that Noctis _had_ said it. Those crowds had died down, and girls approaching Noctis - or approaching Prompto in lieu of approaching Noctis - were the exception rather than the norm. _Did they all just give up?_ Prompto knew that it wasn't really any of his business, but couldn't help his curiosity.

That lunchtime, on the way back from the school canteen, he saw two girls he recognized. Not girls from their class, though, which gave him the impetus to be a little forward. He went up beside them and leant his arm up against the wall, "Heyyy, ladies."

They stopped their conversation and both stared at him blankly. The closest one to him looked him up and down, immediately suspicious. "What do _you_ want?"

Trying to deflect the hostility, Prompto ran a hand through his hair. "You gonna be giving Noct chocolates tomorrow? Noctis, I mean. The prince."

The closest girl just stared, seeming somewhat incredulous. Her friend laughed humorlessly, glancing to the side. "No-one bothers with _that_ anymore."

"Oh~?" Prompto put a finger to his lips. "And why would that be?"

"You're always hanging out with him, aren't you!? Just ask him about it--!" Faltering slightly, she relented. "...He was always so cold about it. Then he was always like ' _I can't accept this_ ', ' _I'm not allowed to accept this_ ', ' _I've been told not to_ ', so what else can you do? It's just, like, setting yourself up for embarrassment. He could at least smile and say thanks, or something."

"Hmm~." Prompto pushed himself away from the wall. "Maybe I'll talk to him about that. A prince should smile at a princess, right?" He winked and then walked off, taking a deep breath once he was turned away from the two of them. He heard one of them call his name as he went, telling him not to tell Noctis anything, but that didn't matter; he hadn't really been intending to raise the subject to begin with, but that was at least _something_.

 

\-----

 

"So... you're not allowed chocolates anymore, huh?"

Prompto casually spoke as Noctis challenged his high score; he didn't respond to the question, but he did miss the final shot he needed for the leaderboard. He clicked his tongue in irritation as the high scores rose onto the screen, then turned to face Prompto with a hand on his hip.

"You're still on about that?"

"Just repeating what I heard."

"... Okay, look." Noctis glanced around, as he replaced the imitation gun back in its dashboard holster. "Let's go somewhere quieter."

Prompto wasn't sure what exactly it was that necessitated that sort of an atmosphere, but gamely followed Noctis regardless. To his surprise, they didn't part ways at the crossroads as usual; Noctis continued on, walking the path that would eventually lead to Prompto's household. Before reaching that point was the local river; it was early enough that some light still remained in the sky, but late enough that most students had already made their way home. Some joggers and dog-walkers made their way by on the main path, but the grassy riverbanks lay devoid of even the latest stragglers. Sitting down on the bank, Noctis watched as Prompto followed suit; he then looked out towards the river.

"...I always got so much chocolate. And people were always like, oh, must be nice, must be good to get that much chocolate, I'd love to have that much chocolate, _whatever_. That's not even--... even without talking about the girls that gave it all to me, it was--... like you heard. I'd take it back with me, and it would always get confiscated."

"That's pretty rough. Worried about that princely dentist bill?"

"They could be poisoned."

Whatever answer Prompto had been expecting, he wasn't sure it was _that_. His first instinct was to pass it off as a joke, but Noctis didn't _seem_ to be joking. "What?"

Noctis shrugged lightly. "They could be poisoned. ' _You don't know these people_ ', he said. ...Ignis, I mean. ' _You don't know who's been talking to them, or what their intentions are_ '. You want to believe it, don't you? That they're just giving chocolates because it's Valentine's Day, and they want to, and that's what you do, and... whatever, but... you just don't know."

"... I guess there's too many to test them all or something, huh."

"When they're store-bought and sealed, I kept trying to say, you know, it's probably okay? But Ignis is Ignis. They might have just dressed them up to look packed and sealed. Better to be totally sure than to take a risk. Right? That's what I was always told. And you get the girls who seem the most serious about it, and they're the ones who've brought hand-made chocolates... but those really _are_ the worst, because then you _totally_ don't know what's in them. And it's not like you can ask someone to their face, ' _this isn't poisoned, right?_ ' They're never gonna admit it if they are, and if not, you've just upset someone. ...So I just said no to everyone. I guess that got around, eventually. You're asking me about it because you heard something, right?"

"I got asking some girls about it. I was curious. ...Sorry."

"... It kind of makes things easier, too. Like I said, you remember those crowds, don't you? So if they think I'm all, you know, cold and ungrateful, then I guess that's just the price I have to pay for that. It's taken this long, but... I don't think anybody bothered, this year. That might be a new record. ...But that's okay. If they talk amongst themselves, then I don't have to tell them directly. They can think what they want."

Prompto hugged his knees to his chest. "... That's kind of sad."

"Yeah, well. In the scale of 'difficult royal things' it's not that bad. And it only comes around once a year. And it'll only happen once more, and then we graduate, so..."

"God, don't start. I don't even want to think about that."

"What, you think I _don't_ get regular lectures about my plans for the future? I don't want to think about it either--!"

Prompto then stretched out, resting his head against his hands and staring up at the sky. "Well, you don't have to think about it right now. So that's okay."

"Didn't I just tell you--"

"Right now, Noct. We don't have to talk about it." He shot a grin towards Noctis and his sulky expression. "It might as well be forever away, right now. So don't think about it."

For a moment, Noctis looked like he was about to counter with an argument--... but it seemed easier not to do so, and so he let it rest. He looked back out towards the river, letting silence fall between them; it wasn't uncomfortable, so Prompto closed his eyes. After some more time passed, he knew that they should probably start thinking about heading home, but not just yet. For now, it was fine to rest.

"... Prompto."

"Mm?"

"Here."

Having been given no further context, Prompto opened one eye. "What is it--...?!"

On seeing what exactly 'it' was, Prompto sat up all of a sudden. For all intents and purposes, it seemed that Noctis was holding a box of chocolates. Not just that, but holding them _in his direction_. Almost like he wanted to give them to him, or something. That seemed obvious, but also quite difficult to comprehend.

"Noct, what--..."

"They're chocolates. For you."

"I mean--... I--... I can see that...! Um... wh--... why...?"

Noctis stared pointedly towards the sky, as if looking towards Prompto was momentarily insurmountable. "You give chocolates to people you like, right?! Why else would I be doing this?!" He brought the chocolates back towards himself. "If you don't want them, I'll have them. I never get to have these." He made as if to unwrap the packaging, but was prevented by a flailing Prompto launching himself towards the box.

"I mean--! I, I'll have them! If that's okay! Um--!"

"I did get them for you, Prompto. It's okay."

Suddenly realizing his position of being half-sprawled against Noctis's lap (albeit with the chocolates in hand), Prompto blushed deeply. "Just, um--... saying 'like', that's--... these are, like... 'friendship chocolates' or something, right?"

"... Is that a thing?"

"I mean... I guess? It could be? Uh..."

Noctis closed his eyes. "You give chocolates to the person you like the most, and there isn't anybody I like more than you, so I got you chocolates. Is that hard to understand? I didn't think it was going to be this much of a problem."

"But--... it's romantic, Noct! People give chocolates to people they like _romantically_!"

" _I know_ \--!"

"Oh--..." At that point, Prompto realized that Noctis, also, was blushing. " _Oh_."

"Like I said, if you don't want them..."

"N-no, I--..." Prompto carefully picked himself back up into a sitting position, then held the box of chocolates with both hands. He looked from them to Noctis once more, then back down. "I--... I'll accept them."

"Well, good."

"Can I--... can I take a photo?"

"If you like? You don't need to ask me."

"N-no, I mean, um--...." Prompto brought his camera out, and then shuffled closer to where Noctis was sitting. "--... I don't think I have enough hands for this."

"Here. Like this?" Noctis leant in with one arm over Prompto's shoulders, pressing his head against the side of Prompto's neck as he took the box of chocolates and held it up to his mouth. From his own position, Prompto couldn't _quite_ see what Noctis was doing, but supposed, as he held the camera at arm's length, that whatever he was doing was probably fine. Probably. Tentatively (and suddenly feeling very aware of himself), Prompto reached across to match their positions - but allowed his hand to drop a little further, curling his fingers around the top of Noctis's arm, drawing him close.

"Y-yeah, that's--... is this okay?"

"You're the expert."

For a few seconds, Prompto wondered just how long it was possible to spin out the time period between forming a pose and taking a picture; in his hesitation, he was already sure he was pushing that limit. He'd taken thousands of photos - many of himself and Noctis, even - but, in that moment, that one potential photo felt important. He gave his best _I'm totally not overthinking every millisecond of this and you have no reason to think that I am_ smile, and pushed the button. To his mild surprise, Noctis didn't disentangle after his doing so.

"Is this photo okay?"

"L-let me just check." Pleasingly, it had come out as well as could be expected. "Yeah, that's a good one. I'll definitely save it."

"Treasured memories of your first Valentine's chocolates, right?"

"... Something like that." It felt like a lot to take in, and there was a lot about the situation that Prompto wasn't sure that he felt he understood. At the same time, they were still sat close to one another, and Noctis _had_ confirmed that the gesture was romantic... he didn't know what to say, and so looked over the box of chocolates, instead. They certainly seemed fancy; a brand that Prompto knew of, but had never been able to justify purchasing.

"Sorry they're not handmade. I'm not very--... I tried, but the results were--... making chocolates is harder than it looks."

The thought of Noctis trying, but failing, but most importantly _trying_ , was quite charming. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

"I didn't want to ask Ignis for help, but... maybe I should have done. ...That's something for next year. I've got a year to practice."

He spoke casually, but the implication of continuation in those words made Prompto smile. "You think you'll want to give me chocolate again next year, too?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?"

The sentiment made Prompto feel so happy he almost worried about taking it at face value in case he was somehow mistaken, but there was little room for error in those words. _Told to avoid Valentine's Day for his own personal safety, and yet he still gives you chocolates. That's definitely something, right?_

"... And these are definitely _not_ poisoned, yeah...?"

Noctis pushed at Prompto's head, making as if to take the chocolates again (though Prompto held them away from his reach). "It's almost like you _want_ me to eat them. I'll prove it to you! You can watch me eat every single one of them."

"Okay, okay--! I trust you...!" Prompto glanced between the chocolates and Noctis once more. "... Do you want to share them?"

"I got them for you, so you should have them. ...I could just buy myself some, if I really wanted. So long as Ignis wasn't around."

For all of his teasing, Noctis did seem quite insistent on that one point. Prompto supposed that there was no harm in it, especially since Noctis likely wouldn't be swayed on the subject - _and White Day is next month, isn't it?_ Prompto found himself curious at just how badly Noctis had managed to fail to make handmade chocolates. Prompto knew he had no real idea of the process, but then he'd never really had to consider it before, so that felt as if it made sense. Was a month enough time to learn? _Maybe it'll be fun._ The internet had everything, and it was the right time of year for people to be uploading their fail-safe chocolate-crafting guides. If nothing else, he certainly had the space to practice.

"... Thanks, Noct. For these. I know I said it before, but... I've never had Valentine's chocolates, so..."

"Yeah, well, I've never given them, so we're even."

The nearby streetlights flickered on, the first indication of night falling. Despite that, neither Prompto nor Noctis were in a hurry to go home - the conversation was much as it ever was, but for Prompto's courage daring him to nudge his fingers close to Noctis's own--... and found his hand taken and clasped, without even a pause for breath between them.


End file.
